On the verge

What we’re on the verge of, at the moment, isn’t yet clear, but after today, this health care reform bill will either be law or be dead.

Unfortunately my sneaking suspicion is it will be law and we’ll all be the less free because of that. The rumor of a Stupak deal (via Executive Order no less – can’t wait to hear how that will actually work) has me to the point of figuring the deal is done.

Debate is now underway on the floor – not that it is really debate (it is more like an announcement of positions) nor will it change any minds.

There have been a number of pronouncements made concerning this bill. One of my favorites is “it will fundamentally change the relationship between the people and the government”.

No it won’t. There’s nothing fundamental about the change this bill will bring. It simply expands on the fundamental change that was introduced in the progressive era, was further expanded under the New Deal and has yet to be successfully rolled back.

Given the nonsense about helping reduce the deficit when it is clear that it will add to it dramatically, the one thing it may do is hasten the demise of the welfare state that’s been cobbled together here, but even that’s still a way off.

What it is doing and has done is awaken at least a portion of the population to what has been happening much more slowly and incrementally over the past decades. And because of what is being taken over, something which is a very personal and important part of people’s lives, it will most likely keep the attention of a good portion of them. That’s especially true as the law of unintended consequences begin to take hold and those doctors people like aren’t available anymore (or retire) and that plan they love isn’t available because their employer cut back to avoid the tax or dumped them into another health care plan altogether.

I keep seeing the claim that Democrats are looking at the long game on this one and are willing to sacrifice short term to bring the largest entitlement in most of our lifetimes to fruition. I don’t believe that for a second. There’s a much easier and majority preserving way of passing health care reform. So you have to believe that this isn’t all about health care or reform. The bill in front of Congress is a pretty radical bill which is not at all liked by many of the rank and file Democrats. No, this is a process and a bill being driven by the Democratic leadership – a leadership as radical and as leftist as any we’ve had in 80 years. This is phase III of an agenda begun in the progressive Wilson administration, expanded in the Roosevelt and Johnson eras and now again gaining legs, even limited ones, in the Obama administration.

Incremental collectivism designed to concentrate more and more power in central government.

The change isn’t fundamental at all, but the effect is cumulative and the only question is whether or not we’ll reach the stage where it collapses under its own weight before they successfully take over everything.

21 Responses to On the verge

“The change isn’t fundamental at all, but the effect is cumulative and the only question is whether or not we’ll reach the stage where it collapses under its own weight before they successfully take over everything.”
Oh, another ques. is how do the people “in charge” act when it falls.

Andy Warhol said that in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.

That’s how this health care reform will work: Everyone will get health care for 15 minutes. But they’ll wait months to get it.

Genetic screening in utero will lead to eugenic editing. That won’t stop with Down’s syndrome, etc. Watch for a boom industry in genetic testing for all the high-cost diseases. Planned Parenthood will offer “scholarships” for therapeutic abortion, or do they do that already?

“Bad news. The genetic screening shows that your fetus, if born, has an 80% chance of developing Type II Diabetes in its 40s. You don’t think it’s fair to let that happen, do you? And the burden on society…”

You know, let’s do the right thing here in Brave New World.

Then, at the other end of life, the conveyor belt to the crematorium will get a few turns on the speed dial. It will have to move faster to keep those terrible costs down.

And in the middle, wait your turn please. Don’t be so pushy. Here’s an appointment four months from now. Have a problem with that? Here’s one for six months from now. Any questions?

But the healthy, they will be so happy with the coverage. What a relief to know that you will be taken care of.

The seniors will get it before anyone else. But they’ll be reconditioned, and this new generation of euphoriants. “Look, Martha, they have a moving sidewalk. Let’s see where it goes. Is it time for another pill?”

Everyone will have a big grin on their way into the furnace. It’s going to be so wonderful. Well, unless they need to take some of those organs before you get too sick and they’re not worth anything.

Why are we letting all the losers among us dictate what sort of lives we get to lead? Why are we letting them steal our money for their health care? Why are we letting them have men point guns at us to force us to buy our own?
Seriously: Why is MY LIFE at the mercy of those who are lesser than me? More to the point: Why is my life at the mercy of those who are not me?
America was not meant for democracy to trump liberty. At what point do we stop giving democracy credence? How much more trumping does it have to do before we stop and say, “Whoa, whoa — nope, this one is a bridge too far”?
Why are we letting the losers among us dictate OUR LIVES?

I think the Republican pundits have miss represented what happens next. Well, not exactly what happens next, but how fast it happens.

This bill isn’t about getting a single payer system. This bill is about making the public want a single payer system. Its designed to cause the current system to collapse. The cloward-piven treatment.

The system will cause healthcare insurance to be more expensive and offer less. They’ve even got the elderly setup to make it difficult for them to even get care in addition to ‘costs more for less’ part. They will start to demand government intervention. And we’re about to see the largest block of elderly voters ever. The Baby Boomers will be all gray in next 15 years.

I suspect the democrats will try to hide the system they’ve imposed and put these increases at the feet of the private sector. They’ll then be able to say the reform wasn’t enough. Its time to take it over.

If there was enough time to establish a 3rd party, it would be possible.

The delay before they really start handing out the candy makes this bill quite ‘killable’. If the Republicans had declared that they would roll it back, there would be no reason to pass it. That may have woken the Democrats up from political suicide.

Instead the Republicans will welcome the machine that the Democrats create. Controlling the money = kickbacks & power. Its that simple. Its not philosophy. Its not socialism vs. capitalism and/or free markets. Its about taking control and helping yourself and your friends. And the Republicans will cherish that control which they think will be theirs scott free. (might as well can this bill “precious” as far as the Republicans are concerned).

Instead the Republicans will welcome the machine that the Democrats create. Controlling the money = kickbacks & power. Its that simple. Its not philosophy. Its not socialism vs. capitalism and/or free markets. Its about taking control and helping yourself and your friends. And the Republicans will cherish that control which they think will be theirs scott free. (might as well can this bill “precious” as far as the Republicans are concerned).

>>>> Tell you what. If that happens, I think we’re gonna see some serious domestic unpheaval where any politician is going to have to watch their backs

Let’s carefully watch the unemployment numbers. If this starts them moving up again or staying flat, well 2010-2011 could be interesting. Remember how FDR policies extended the Depression? Well, people know more now.
Should be an interesting few years.

T – Why are we letting all the losers among us dictate what sort of lives we get to lead? Why are we letting them steal our money for their health care? Why are we letting them have men point guns at us to force us to buy our own?

Because we’ve had it beaten into our heads for decades that a “good” society and a “decent” society provides for the less fortunate. What is that idiot quote that’s been going around: “You can judge a society by how it treats its weakest members”? Well! Don’t you want to live in a society that provides health care for everybody? Don’t you want our society to see to it that nobody gets sick and dies for want of good medical care whether or not they can afford it? Don’t you want the old and the poor and THE CHILDREN to live???

It’s a bait-and-switch operation. The libs play upon the generosity of the American people and the noble belief that people OUGHT to be generous and charitable and change it into a REQUIREMENT that people be generous and charitable, with a bunch of politicians and bureaucrats determining not only how charitable we have to be, but what the penalties will be if we would rather be selfish and greedy. They’ve pitched O-care as the ONLY way to “reform” our health care system, the ONLY way to see to it that everybody gets access to health care, the ONLY way to stop people dying for want of care.

Liars.

Neo – If the law clearly states that it will pay for abortions, then no EO is going to change that.
If Stupak believes otherwise, he will be unpleasantly surprised.

I’m guessing that Stupak just needed an excuse. “Executive order” sounds pretty official and binding, and he’s probably hoping that his constituents will buy that excuse until they sort of forget that he caved. And even if they don’t forget, he can claim that Imeme boned him. “It’s not MY fault. He promised. Blame him and reelect me and I promise to keep fighting to stop abortions.”

The AHA! moment for me came during Representative Polosi”s speech tonight. Like many people, I have been following developments and thinking: “What are the Democrats thinking?” Well, now I know and I get it. I’ve got the narrative.
I would LOVE to have the health bill that Speaker Pelosi spoke about, if it was limited to the items she spoke about in her speech. We all know that it is the things that are in the bill about which she said NOTHING that we need to be concerned about. The REAL bill.
The AHA was that, since I know that the lame stream media will report that the bill that passed was the imaginary one that was described in her speech, that is the bill that many voters will believe was passed. All Progressives and other Democrats (including the resident pretend-guru here) will instantly take up the narrative and go into Hosannas, strictly limited to the imaginary bill contained in her speech. Which bill do you think the average voter will believe was passed? The imaginary one in her speech or the real one?
Sadly, the erstwhile voter, who concentrates on earning a living, caring for his family (more accurately, I could say HER family, given employment statistics) and who only tunes in to the lame stream media briefly to inform herself about what is going on will come away very happy with this imaginary bill. And will think “Boy, those Teabaggers (!) really are nuts to complain about this great bill.” Then they will nod approvingly at the lame stream stories (page one) about the guts, etc. of Ms. Pelosit and President Obama for getting this done – over the objections of those resistors who want higher insurance premiums, pre-existing conditions, refusing to pay claims even though people are covered, etc., etc., etc.
Oh, and I LOVE this one in her speech: “ Entrepreneurs will now be free to start their own businesses and still cover their children’s health care!” (Well, yes, they could before, but somehow not like this! Nevermind.)
Think about it. Ms. Pelosi’s imaginary bill is a beautiful narrative. What a triumph for correct-thinking folks. And now the vast left wing conspiracy will begin drumming this narrative into the minds of their voters along with the narrative of the bad, bad Tea Bagger (and watch Tea Baggers and Republicans magically become one and the same in the narrative) types who tried to keep us from getting this fine bill.
Cost? Deficit? Speaker Pelosi did not even think those concerns were important enough to mention. Cost, deficit, government control, socialism, etc. ? We can ignore them. Mere straw men dreamed up by those pesky Tea Baggers and Republicans (oops, I’m out of the narrative; let me correctly state the truth) …those pesky Teabaglicans. “Why,”the erstwhile voter asks, “if costs or the deficit were important, would not (the lame stream media) or my favorite left wing blog be informing me about it?”
I see the twin narratives clearly. It only remains for the machine to start cranking. See your local newspaper headline tomorrow. Which bill passed? Imaginary or real? Wait for the Progressive comments here and on the left wing blogs. Which bill will they champion? Imaginary or real? Hey, these folks don’t need marching orders. Their knees jerk so readily, all they need is Speaker Pelosi’s speech and they have the narrative. The pros in the media will polish it up and by Tuesday there will be be in an entirely new and different “news cycle”. One which praises President Obama and all Democrats (well, maybe not those who fell for the Teabaglicans straw men and failed to support the President on this wonderful bill).

I fought for these guys to be elected, but there was not much point in trying to defend every move they made, in part because I have not approved of every move they have made, and in part because what is important is what they get done, and how well it works, as opposed to how they did it. The process was exciting, but disgusting, with the difference being that most legislation is disgusting, but not terribly exciting.

I hope they do take up immigration reform, that could be fun. I think Cap and Trade is dead for the next few years, in fact I hope it is, so I won’t be much fun there.

I do think that y’all have been very, very heavy on talking about what is the heads of Democrats as opposed to what is the bills, and there is not much to debate when you can say “Obama wants to have total control of our lives” and I can say “nuh uh”.

Obama was accurate when he said this is major change, not radical change. Republicans attacked it as if it were a Eugenics bill, but really it’s pretty much the least that could have been done and still be called comprehensive reform.

I look forward to the republican campaign of repeal and replace. That should be fun.